Imitations are everywhere. Walking the baking aisle at the local grocery store cracks me up this time of year. Did you know that you can get the following “flavor” imitations for your holiday baking needs?

• Caramel
• Maple
• Vanilla
• Cherry
• Butter
• Almond

And that’s just at my store! I’ll admit, I buy imitation vanilla because the “real deal” is almost unaffordable. But what I can’t make sense of is why someone would buy imitation butter when the real deal is relatively affordable. All I can deduce is that some people just don’t know any better.

When it comes to cleaning your facilities, there’s a dangerous imitation that is oftentimes mistaken for the real deal. I’m sure you’ve seen it with your own eyes. Let me paint a picture.

You’re watching someone clean the doorknobs at your place of business. They spray on something from a can that looks outwardly legitimate at killing germs. Then they grab a rag and wipe, wipe, wipe. Was that surface disinfected or was it an imitation?

If you said imitation, you are correct! You see, all chemical disinfectants require something known as “dwell time” in order to be effective. But before we get to that, let’s take a step back even further. When you desire to disinfect a surface, you must first clean that surface. Removing dust, dirt, and grime is a necessary step because all of these things can shield chemical disinfectant from actually reaching a surface. 

Most dirt and dust is less visible to the human eye so this essential step is often neglected. Sonlight Cleaning Services knows that disinfecting is actually a three-step process: clean, spray disinfectant, and allow for proper dwell time. The dwell time is the published time it takes for a given disinfectant to properly do its job. This is also one of the reasons why we recommend after-hours cleaning for many businesses (although for high-traffic buildings that require more than once per day cleaning, our day porters sanitize high-touch surfaces throughout the day… but that’s a distinction for another time). 

At Sonlight Cleaning Services, we know better than to make rookie mistakes like falling for imitations when it comes to disinfecting. Give us a call today!

By Laura Pulliam